Kat's new life: an alternate story of Halo
by Someone35
Summary: After being rescued from the destruction of Planet Reach, Kat joins the UNSCDF Air Force 202nd gunship regiment. Kat, and her new friend and Hawk pilot, Mark, begin an adventure through space on the war against the Covenant. (Unfinished, more chapters to come.)


Catherine was hyperventilating so hard that she completely forgot that she was asleep for more than 86 hours. That horrible image still perverted her memories. Running to the bunker, Six jumping in front of the needle, and the explosion…

Kat looked around. Same white walls of the medical bay in the rear of the frigate. A holographic clock on the far end of the room read it was 3:07 AM ship time. The bay was dim, and the only lights where the red service bulbs on the roof of the room. The lighting, along with the utter silence of the bay, gave Kat a chilling thought that she was alone in space. After five minutes of merely sitting and looking at the door, Kat decided that the medical bay was a little bit creepy for her liking. After finding a shirt and sweats in a night stand next to the medical showers, Kat decided to try to find some activity aboard the vessel.

After ten minutes of searching, the only place that seemed to have a chance of life was the hangar. After walking to the main entrance, she found no guard at the gate. Kat did not like to admit it to herself, but the entire ordeal of her flashback and the seemingly empty ship was starting to become un nerving. Kat walked under the gate arm and turned the corner. There was still no light, and the hangar was filled with odd shapes. Kat began to walk slowly into the darkness. She started to shiver, for the air was cold in the metal hangar, and the ducting created a small breeze throughout the area. After several minutes of walking, Kat paused to try to see anyone when a dozen florescent lights snapped on over an aircraft. The light easily lit most of concrete around the craft, and the sides of others around it. Kat's mind went into combat mode, and she dove into the shadow of an unidentified aircraft.

A man came walking from the edge of the dark, pulling a moving truck and an air compressor. Kat leaned her head around the aircraft just enough to see the front of the helicopter like vehicle that the man was beginning to work on. The man connected a hose to the side of the air tank and strung it towards the rear of the vehicle and out of Kat's view. He walked back and grabbed a manual hydraulic jack off of the moving cart and proceeded to carry it back as well. Kat heard the man set the jack down and align it with part of the aircraft. On his third return to the cart, he paused, and stopped unexpectedly near the cart. Kat held her breath, trying to stay silent as possible. The man turned towards Kat's hideout, and she instinctively slid behind the front of her aircraft. Kat kept sliding back, along the hull of the craft in front of her. Something touched her back, and she swung around, accidently connecting her metal arm with the hull of the craft. The shrill sound of sheet metal echoed throughout the hangar.

The man walked around the front of the aircraft, carrying a crowbar. Kat could hear him approaching the front of her hideout, and knew that she was going to be discovered…

"What the hell are you doin' in my hangar?" He began, "I am the only one that is authorized at this hour, and why are you…" he trailed off, dumbstruck on what he saw. "Oh, it's a _girl_ intruder. What brings you here this early?"

"I woke up, and there were no people," Kat began, "I feared I was on a ghost ship. There was no guard at the gate and I assumed there would be people in the hangar. I…" Kat was cut off. "You said there was no guard?" "Yes, and most of the halls where dark," She replied.

"Neil must be at the bridge then," the man said. "Here, why don't you come over here and help me with this tire." Kat followed him back to the aircraft being serviced. Kat sat on the concrete floor while the man moved the jack over to the rear right gear of the aircraft. He locked the device in place and pushed the lever until the right tire was three inches in the air. "My names Mark, by the way," the man said. He walked over to Kat. "You're a quiet one, you have a name?"

"Catherine," she said, "I am surprised you didn't ask about the arm." Mark knelt down beside her. "It just never occurred to me." He said. "If you could, and I assume you're up to nothing important, you should help me with this." Mark walked back to the aircraft and Kat followed behind. "I like your accent, by the way."

"I'm surprised that you haven't asked about all these planes." Mark said as he moved the air hose towards the tire. "This one is called the Hawk, and the one that you put a dent in is called a Vulture." Mark attached an air ratchet to the hose, and set it on the first lug. "So, are you a mechanic or something?" Kat questioned. "Nope." Mark said. Before Kat could respond, Mark pulled the trigger and the tire rattled and shook. The first lug slid off the rim. "So what are you?" Kat asked. Mark pulled the trigger and another lug came off. He rapidly removed the other three lugs, and held up the air gun. "I am the pilot of this Hawk." Mark went and removed the tire and rolled it to his side.

"Why are you doing this, and not the mechanic?" Kat asked. "Hand me that crowbar." Kat slid the instrument across the floor. He put the end of the crowbar into the bake pad, and stood up. "Why you?" Kat asked again. "Why…"

Mark kicked the crowbar and the pad launched off of the gear, and slammed into the ground. "The mechanic was killed in blast two weeks ago, and I lost my gunner to mental insanity." Mark turned to look Kat in the eyes. "I've been at it for two God damn weeks, trying to keep her flying." Kat could not take her eyes off of his. Her eyes were a fire blue. Mark's where brown to near blackness, and he had deep rings around his eye sockets. "It's not the death or work that gets to me, though. It's the silence. I knew you were standing behind the Vulture, but I had to see if I could even speak without going crazy." Mark said, so smoothly that it scared Kat slightly. "I know what you are saying," Kat said, "I was captured and trained as a Spartan. Not once did I ever get to have a personal conversation, and I never got anything that a _normal_ kid got." Kat said so quietly it seemed she would cry. "The worst part was not when Thom died. It was the night after, when all I could hear was silence." Mark stood up. "You look tired. You want to stay here or head back to the bunks?" Mark said as he placed a new break on the gear. "I don't want to leave, it's too quiet, and it's dark out there and…" Kat had tears in her eyes. "I have an idea." Mark said. He opened the cockpit cover or the helicopter and pulled out a survival blanket and a foam pillow. "I'd let you sleep in the cockpit, but the chairs are full of tools." Mark set the pillow down by the tire. "Mark?" Kat asked. "Yes." "This probably sounds crazy, but could you lay with me for a minute?" Mark accepted the idea, and slid beside Kat and placed the blanket over her. Kat tucked herself into Mark, and placed her arms around his neck. Mark slid his fingers through Kats hair, and put his arms around her. Kat loved the warmth of Mark, and fell asleep on the hangar floor.


End file.
